//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Monthiversary Part 1 // Story: The Not-So-Normal Adventures of King Sombra and Pinkie Pie // by Harmony Charmer //------------------------------// "Are you heading out?" Twilight asked, looking up from her reading area. Sombra rolled his eyes at her and continued over to the library's front door. "Do you have to ask?" he replied, "You know I head out around this time every day, Sparkle." Twilight grinned. "Just checking, is all," she told him, "be careful out there, OK?" "Alright, Mom," Sombra said with another eye roll. He turned the knob for the library and was happy to see that it didn't set off Twilight's alarm that she had marked for him especially. Not like last time. "I'll be back in an hour or so," Sombra told her, then muttered, "just like every day..." Twilight giggled. "If you wanted to spend more time out, you could have just asked, you know," she replied. "Good to know," he said simply, then walked out of the library. "Why's he so intent on going out everyday?" Spike asked Twilight as he watched Sombra through the library window. "You know why, Spike!" Twilight exclaimed, giving Spike an incredulous look. "I know that," Spike said, crossing his arms, "I just don't see why it's such a big deal..." "The same way going to Rarity's to help her is a big deal to you," she told him. Spike's face went bright red and he stood up straight while giving Twilight a heated glare. "Don't you even go there, Twilight!" he retorted, then pointed a claw at her accusingly, "You're the same way when you go to the Crystal Empire to see Flash!" Twilight's face went bright red as she gaped at him. "That is so not the same!" she defended, "He doesn't even know me!" "Like that stops you from going every chance you get?" Spike retorted, quirking a brow questioningly. "Just- Shut up!" Twilight exclaimed, "Just don't give Sombra a hard time about going into town." Spike groaned. "But he picks on me all the time!" he whined. Twilight frowned. "You have to be better than him, Spike," she stated simply, "that's how he'll learn." "Fat lot of good that's done," Spike said with an eye roll. "Give him a break, you know he's trying," she said, then smiled to herself, "I think it's kinda sweet..." Spike gagged. "I think you mean 'sappy'!" he exclaimed, then walked off. Twilight shook her head whilst smiling at her dragon assistant and looked at the window. "I can't believe it's already been a month..." she said to herself, "I wonder if they'll do anything special to celebrate?" She immediately put the thought to rest as she remembered that Pinkie celebrated every possible thing and that this time would be no exception. "Knowing Pinkie, she'll probably go overboard!" Meanwhile, outside of the library, Sombra was making his way down the street, earning a few greetings as he passed. "Hi, Sombra!" called Lyra and Bon Bon from their bench by a shop. "Hello, girls," Sombra greeted in return. As he kept walking, he caught sight of an elderly stallion waddling out of a shop with a hard to miss red bow tie. He grinned as he passed the elder and called, "Hello, Mr.Waddle! Looking fit as a fiddle, as always! And you're wearing my favorite tie!" "Aw, thanks Sombra!" he called back, "Off to see your lady, eh?" "You ask that every day!" Sombra said with a playful eye roll, "You'd think you'd know the answer by now!" "Just checkin', ya youngin'!" Mr.Waddle said with a chuckle, "Tell her I said 'Hi'!" "I'll be sure to!" Sombra called as he rounded the corner. Once making his turn, he saw Roseluck struggling to lift a wooden bucket full of red roses and rushed over to her side. Just as she lost her grip on the handle, Sombra caught it and easily pushed it onto her cart. "Thanks, Sombra!" Roseluck cheered, then plucked a rose from the bucket and held it out to him, "Here! I'm sure Pinkie'll love it!" "Thanks!" Sombra replied, then took the stem from her before trotting off. "What a lucky mare Pinkie is," she said to herself as he walked out of earshot. As Sombra continued to trot through town, he received and returned greetings as he made his way down to Sugarcube Corner, where he knew Pinkie would be waiting for him. Despite his earlier grievances on socializing with others outside Pinkie and her friends(who he still had a hard time communicating with), he had made an effort to at least greet some ponies to and from the bakery. Not because Pinkie scared him, of course. Finally, the familiar building in which Pinkie resided came into his line of sight, causing Sombra to smile genuinely, an amazing feat that grew more frequent with each passing day. Every day that he got to be with her. And, speak of the devil, she appeared, scanning the area until her eyes fell upon him, beaming as she took in the sight of him. "Sombry!" she exclaimed, then merrily bounced over to her special somepony. She stopped just in front of him, but continued to bounce in place as she giggled. "Oooo, where'd ya get that rose?" she cooed, leaning towards the flower in Sombra's mouth. He smiled at her and placed the rose behind her ear, which made her look at him surprisedly. "Rose gave it to me to give to you," he told her, causing her to blush, "as if you couldn't look prettier." Pinkie's face went bright red. "Sombry!" she exclaimed, "You're making me blush!" She froze when Sombra nuzzled her cheek, her face growing even hotter. "But, you're adorable when you blush," he whispered, then pecked her cheek. Pinkie grinned evilly and turned suddenly, then landed a kiss on his nose, which caused his eyes to widen as his cheeks reddened. "You're even adorabler!" she called as she bounced away from Sombra's dazed form. After regaining some of his sense, he rolled his eyes at her and trotted over to her. "I don't think that's a word, Pinkie," he told her, causing her to quirk a brow in response. "It so is!" she argued playfully. "Is not," he replied. "Is too! Twilight checked her dictionary when I said it to her once!" "Why would you say something like that to Twilight...?" Sombra pondered aloud to himself. Pinkie ignored his murmur and pointed a hoof at him. "You know what happens you're wrong about something, mister!" Pinkie exclaimed, giving him a devilish grin. Sombra put on a fake horrified look and mock gasped. "You wouldn't dare!" he breathed dramatically, trying hard not to smile. Pinkie nodded somberly, then broke into giggles as she struggled to keep a serious attitude. "I do dare!" she called, then dashed to his side in less than a second. Before Sombra could protest, Pinkie hopped onto his back and placed her front hooves on his head, then held out one in front of her. "Onwards forth, Sombry!" she ordered playfully, then started giggling. "Please keep your hooves and other limbs on the Sombra as we're moving," Sombra said in a mechanical voice, "Thank you for choosing Sombra as your mode of transportation." Both Sombra and Pinkie laughed at his joke, despite the fact he's told it many times before. "Oh, before I forget, Mr.Waddle said 'Hi'." "Thanks for telling me!" Pinkie said, then asked, "Hay, you know what this calls for?" She grinned as she leaned over Sombra so he could see her. Sombra's eyes widened, this time genuinely. "Pinkie..." he said warningly, "You know how I feel about that." Pinkie gave him a pleading look. "Pleeeeeeeeeeease?" she drawled. Sombra should've been prepared for what was next, but realized he wouldn't be able to fight it anyway. Pinkie made her eyes go wide while her pupils dilated to where her irises were covered in starry blackness and jutted out her lower lip as she let out a small whimper. The puppy dog look. One of Sombra's few weaknesses in defying Pinkie. Sombra sighed. "Fine," he conceded, causing Pinkie to grin like a hyena. "Yay!" she cheered, then stretched out her neck to kiss him on the nose. He rolled his eyes at her and continued trotting through town. As he expected, the sound of a guitar strumming resonated through the air as the familiar sound of chimes followed. Passing ponies stopped briefly as they listened for the source of the music, then continued on their way as they saw Pinkie and Sombra pass by. "Wanna start?" Pinkie asked Sombra, earning a knowing look from him. She shrugged and took a deep breath. [Pinkie Pie] My name is Pinkie Pie! Hello! And I am here to say, How ya doin'? She gave Sombra a smile and nodded her at him. He sighed and rolled his eyes before taking a deep breath of his own. [Sombra] We're here to make you smile, and brighten up you da-a-a-ay Pinkie grinned and giggled at him. [Pinkie] It doesn't matter now- [Sombra] (waves to passing pony) Hello! If you are sad or blue- [Pinkie] Howdy! Sombra and Pinkie catch sight of the Cutie Mark Crusaders struggling to move their wagon, seeing as it's stuck behind a rock that they can't see. All three fillies are frowning and exchanging disappointed looks. [Sombra and Pinkie] Cause cheering up our friends Is what we are here to do! Sombra rushes over and adjusts the wagon to where it's past the rock so it's not stuck anymore. [Pinkie] Cause I like to make you smile, smile, smile! Yes I do! All three crusaders smile at Sombra as he trots off and waves a farewell. [Pinkie and Sombra] It fills my heart with sunshine all the while (All the whiiiiiiiiiiiiile!) Yes it does! Ponies watch as Pinkie and Sombra sing their song together, smiling at their behavior as a couple. [Pinkie] Cause all I need is a smile, smile, smile! [Pinkie and Sombra] From these happy friends of mine! "Hello, there, you two!" called a voice, breaking through Sombra and Pinkie's harmonies. Sombra was so startled by the sudden halt in song, he tripped over his own hooves and fell face first onto the ground. Fortunately for Pinkie, she was on top him, saving her from any harm. The same couldn't be said for her special somepony, however. "Oh, hay there, Rarity!" Pinkie greeted, completely disregarding Sombra's obvious discomfort. She hopped off his back and over to her unicorn friend, who was looking at Sombra with concern. "Dear, are you alright?" Rarity asked, leaning down to Sombra's level. Sombra scraped his face off the ground, revealing his eyes to lolling around dizzily as his tongue plopped out of mouth while he moaned. "My face hurts..." he drawled, sliding his tongue back into his mouth lazily. Pinkie rushed over to him and shoved Rarity out of the way, causing the seamstress to let out a yelp of surprise. "Aw, poor baby!" she called, then kissed him on the cheek, "Did that make it better?" Sombra's eyes stopped rolling around as they widened in surprise at Pinkie's action, then grinned slyly. "A kiss on the lips would be better," he told her, causing her to blush. "Okie dokie lokie!" she said, then pecked his lips, "How about now?" "Feeling 100 percent!" he exclaimed as he leaped up. "Ahem," Rarity huffed, brushing herself off from Pinkie's accidental attack, "I see you two are on your daily walk." "Yeppy deppy!" Pinkie exclaimed, then snuggled into Sombra, "Can you believe it's been a month already?" Sombra smiled at her. "Every day with you is like an eternity," he told her, "and I relish every moment of it." "Aw!" Rarity exclaimed, "If you don't kiss him, I just might have to do it for you!" "Hay, back off, sister!" Pinkie said defensively, wrapping her forelegs around Sombra tightly, "He's mine!" Sombra gave Rarity a fake frightened look. "She's not kidding, you know," he said, then cracked a smile, "but I know how she feels; I hate it when other stallions flirt with you." "What stallions?" Pinkie asked, "They're all too scared to because they know you and I are dating!" Sombra grinned. "Exactly how I want it," he purred, brushing his nose against hers, "I'm not very good at sharing..." "Neither am I..." Pinkie replied. "Uh, I'm still here," Rarity said, looking uncomfortable. Both Sombra and Pinkie spared her a glance, then backed away from each other awkwardly, both clearing their throats uncomfortably. "So, uh, what are you two doing to commemorate your month together?" Pinkie gasped. "A monthiversary!" she exclaimed, putting her hooves to her cheeks and smushing them together excitedly, "We can have cake and punch and balloons and-" Sombra put his hoof to her mouth gently, silencing her almost immediately. "How about just something between the two of us?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her suggestively. "Sombry!" she exclaimed as her face went bright red, "We're in public!" "Like that's ever stopped the two of you before?" Rarity inquired, "Why, just the other day, I caught you two kissing outside the boutique!" "You said the shop was closed that day!" Sombra exclaimed, turning to Pinkie. "I didn't know she was still in it!" Pinkie countered, then turned to Rarity, "Wait, why were you watching us?" "What I do in the privacy of my home is none of your concern," she replied simply, "getting back to the question at hoof, what are you two going to do for your monthiversary?" Pinkie put a hoof to her chin as she pondered Rarity's question. "Hmmmmm," she hummed to herself, then gasped as she held up a hoof. "Eureka!" she cried, standing on her hind legs in a victorious stance. "What is it?" Sombra asked, raising a brow at his marefriend with curiosity. Pinkie grabbed Sombra's face with her hooves and intently stared into his eyes as she smushed his cheeks together. "Meet me at Sugarcube Corner at closing time!" she told him, "And wear something fancy!" Before Sombra could even open his mouth to ask why, she pecked his lips and dashed off, leaving a pink streak behind her. "She seems rather excited," Rarity said to herself, while Sombra remained frozen in flabbergasted shock as his face continued to stay tinged pink from Pinkie's sign of affection. Rarity clapped her hooves together and grabbed Sombra's foreleg, then proceeded to drag him behind her. "Come along, we must get you something for... whatever Pinkie has planned for you!" * * * "You want to do what?" Mrs.Cake blurted out, nearly dropping the box that she was putting onto the counter. "I know it's short notice," Pinkie admitted, leaning over the counter as she looked at her adopted aunt, "but I want to do something to celebrate me and Sombry's monthiversary!" "Dear, you know how much I love that you two are together now," the older mare started, opening the box on the counter to check it's contents. "But..." Pinkie drawled, knowing that it would be Mrs.Cake's next word. "But don't you think you're putting a lot into this relationship?" she said finally, "I mean, it's only been a month!" Pinkie frowned. "But we've liked each other before that!" she argued, throwing her hooves up in exasperation. "I know that," Mrs.Cake reminded her, "I've known since I saw you two sleeping together!" Pinkie blushed. "You make it sound worse than it actually was..." she murmured, then looked down abashedly, "it didn't help that you took pictures..." "You never told Sombra about that, right?" Mrs.Cake asked in a panicked tone, "I don't think he'd be able to recover from something like that." Pinkie giggled. "He can get real embarrassed about stuff like that," she told her, "especially since that was before we started dating." "But in all seriousness, " Mrs.Cake said abruptly, breaking through the lighthearted mood, "are you sure this is something you want to do?" Pinkie took her time with her reply. Although she cared about Sombra, she knew that what she was going to do was a big step for both of them. "Absolutely!" Pinkie exclaimed, pointing a hoof in the air, "As Celestia as my witness, that's how sure!" Mrs.Cake smiled and shook her head at Pinkie's behavior. "Alright, dear," she told her, "I'll clear out the shop after closing time so you can get things ready for your night together." Pinkie jumped over the counter and hugged Mrs.Cake. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, "I'll get to work in the kitchen right away!" Without another word, Pinkie rushed out of the room and into the kitchen, the sound of humming resonating from it's depths. Mrs.Cake smiled to herself. "I just hope Sombra's as excited as she is..."